Helmet shield

ABSTRACT

A helmet shield, in which the edge of the shield has a curved portion  10  the same as a top-to-bottom curved shield and its central portion is formed so as to have a rectilinear portion  20  as in a top-to-bottom rectilinear shield so that transparent films can be easily attached and the effect of wind during high-speed driving can minimized, is disclosed.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a helmet shield, and more specifically to a helmet shield such as a motorcycle helmet shield for blocking strong wind from ahead during driving, in which the central main area of the helmet excluding its edge is formed in an upward-and-downward flat top-to-bottom rectilinear portion, and the edge surrounding this top-to-bottom rectilinear portion is formed in a curved surface portion of a three-dimensional shape having a predetermined width, so that it is possible to easily attach, to the top-to-bottom rectilinear portion, a plurality of transparent films for removing foreign matter (insects, etc.).

2. Description of the Related Art

In general, a motorcycle helmet H for high-speed driving such as a full-face helmet is provided with a transparent shield for securing the field of vision, as shown in FIG. 1.

This shield S can be opened upward as necessary, and is pivotally mounted to the helmet H by hinge pins P so as to be closed by pulling it down during high-speed driving. The shield S is made of comparatively light material to make the helmet lightweight.

Meanwhile, it is natural to form the front of the helmet in a curved shape along the contour of the helmet because the hinge pins P in such a shield are located on the left and right sides of the helmet. Like this, the front portion of the shield is formed in a top-to-bottom curved shape, but, as necessary, it can also be made in a top-to-bottom rectilinear line shape formed in a straight line across the whole width from the top end to the bottom end of the shield. The helmet shield has a thickness T of about 2 mm.

In a top-to-bottom rectilinear shield, the force of wind blowing from ahead during driving acts also on the thickness portion of the helmet shield. Because of that, not only during high-speed driving but also when wind is strong while driving at low speed, a phenomenon occurs in which the front of the shield is lifted upward with the center of rotation at the hinge pins P of the left and right sides. Such a phenomenon could cause the user a situation in which he cannot concentrate on driving.

Meanwhile, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, a top-to-bottom curved type is an improvement over such a problem of the top-to-bottom rectilinear type. Since it is made in a curved shape so that wind can move away from the high portion of the center, the phenomenon of the shield being lifted up during driving is alleviated.

Meanwhile, when you ride a motorcycle professionally or in motorcycle racing, your field of vision is obstructed if foreign matter sticks to the shield or an insect, etc. hits and becomes stuck to it.

A way generally used to solve such a problem is to keep many sheets of transparent film attached on the surface of the helmet shield, which can be taken off one by one every time you have difficulty in securing the field of vision because of a foreign matter stuck to it.

In attaching to use such transparent films, a top-to-bottom rectilinear shield is more advantageous than a top-to-bottom curved shield. But as mentioned above, there is a problem in that a top-to-bottom rectilinear shield inconveniences driving because it has a phenomenon of being lifted up by the effect of wind.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Thus, the present invention is to solve such a conventional problem as mentioned above with an object to provide a helmet shield, in which the edge of the shield has a curved portion maintained as in a top-to-bottom curved shield to prevent the coming-off phenomenon of the shield while the central main area excluding the edge is formed in a flat rectilinear portion as in a top-to-bottom rectilinear shield, so that it is possible not only to attach transparent films to the rectilinear portion easily but also to minimize the effect of wind even during high-speed driving.

In accordance with the present invention, there is provided a helmet shield comprising: a top-to-bottom rectilinear portion which is formed flatly in the vertical direction in the central main area of the shield excluding its edge, and a curved surface portion which is formed on the edge surrounding said top-to-bottom rectilinear portion and having predetermined with W in a three-dimensional shape.

Preferably, said curved surface portion is formed only on the bottom end edge of the shield.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Other objects and aspects of the present invention will become apparent from the following description of embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a lateral view of a full-face helmet for a motorcycle with a conventional shield;

FIG. 2 is a sectional view showing the configuration of a conventional top-to-bottom curved shield;

FIG. 3 is a lateral view showing the assembly of a conventional top-to-bottom curved shield;

FIG. 4 is a sectional view showing the configuration of a helmet shield according to the present invention; and

FIG. 5 is a lateral view showing how the helmet shield according to the present invention is mounted on the helmet.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Below will be described in detail a helmet shield according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention with reference to the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 4 is a sectional view showing the configuration of a helmet shield according to the present invention, and FIG. 5 is a lateral view showing how the helmet shield according to the present invention is mounted on the helmet.

First, a helmet to which the shield of the present invention is applied is suitable to be used by the person who rides a vehicle which has a relatively fast driving speed such as a bicycle and automobile as well as a motorcycle.

The overall configuration of the helmet is substantially identical with that of a conventional one, and also the pivot structure of the shield by hinge pins is generally identical with a conventional one.

The characteristic configuration in the present invention is, as shown in FIG. 4, in maintaining the shield S in a U shape when seen from the horizontal direction while, when seen from the vertical direction, forming the central main area excluding the edge into a flat top-to-bottom rectilinear portion 20, and forming the edge surrounding the top-to-bottom portion 20 into a curved surface portion 10 of a three-dimensional shape having a predetermined width W.

At this time, the curved surface portion 10 of the shield S has the thickness the same as the rectilinear portion 20, and the curved surface angle θ can be determined by considering the angle of the end that the top-to-bottom curved shield has. The curved surface portion 10 has a shape which is substantially identical with the top-to-bottom curved shield.

And, the width of the curved surface portion 10 is formed uniformly along the edge of the shield S, preferably in a width of about 5 mm to 15 mm.

Even if the width of the curved portion 10 is out of this range, the effect desired in the present invention can be obtained to a certain degree. However, from the results of tests, we can see the range of such figures is the most suitable, when the resistance of air, manufacture, strength, etc. are considered.

Like this, if the shield S whose edge is formed in a curved surface portion 10 is assembled to the helmet H, it becomes as shown in FIG. 5.

Namely, when the shield S is closed, the curved surface portion 10 comes into contact with the packing (FIG. 4) of the helmet H. Accordingly, even if the central main area of the shield is in a top-to-bottom rectilinear portion 20, the curved surface portion 10, which is the edge, is sloped inward, so naturally it receives less resistance of wind.

Therefore, even if the driving speed is high or the wind speed of headwind is high, the shield S is not lifted up or comes off.

In addition, if we consider only the point of suppressing the force that the shield S makes by coming off upward or being opened while rotating with the center of rotation at the hinge pins P, the three-dimensional curved surface portion 10 of the present invention can be made by limiting it to only the bottom end of the shield S.

Since the shield S of the present invention has the central main area made in a vertically flat top-to-bottom rectilinear portion, it is possible to conveniently attach transparent films for removing any time foreign matter or bugs stick to the shield during driving.

Furthermore, since the central main area excluding the edge of the shield S is formed in a flat top-to-bottom rectilinear portion 20 as in a rectilinear shield and also a curved surface portion 30 with an angle similar to that of a top-to-bottom curved shield is formed on the edge of the bottom end, the phenomenon of the shield S coming off due to the resistance of wind is prevented.

As described above, since the helmet shield according to the present invention has the central main area excluding the edge made in a vertically flat top-to-bottom rectilinear portion, while a three-dimensional curved surface portion is formed along the edge surrounding the top-to-bottom rectilinear portion, it is possible to have the advantages of both the top-to-bottom rectilinear and top-to-bottom curved shields.

Namely, since it is possible to easily attach transparent films to the flat rectilinear portion which forms the central main portion while it is possible to reduce to the maximum resistance of wind through the curved surface portion of the shield, the phenomenon of the shield coming off or being opened due to the effect of wind during high-speed driving as well as low-speed driving in strong wind is prevented to the benefit of driving safety.

Although the present invention has been described in detail reference to its presently preferred embodiment, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various modifications and equivalents can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention, as set forth in the appended claims. 

1. A helmet shield comprising: a top-to-bottom rectilinear portion which is formed flatly in the vertical direction in the central main area of the shield excluding its edge, and a curved surface portion which is formed on the edge surrounding said top-to-bottom rectilinear portion and having predetermined with W in a three-dimensional shape.
 2. The helmet shield of claim 1, said curved surface portion is formed only on the bottom end edge of the shield. 